All artworks contain messages, but whether that message is actually understood is another question entirely. This, in turn depends on the artists’ purity of thought, experience and dexterity in handling various mediums of expression.

There have been incidents where the intended message has been grossly misunderstood or simply not understood at all. Consequently, there is a constant need to inculcate an understanding of the way an artist perceives, conceives and portrays, in order to bridge the void between the artist and the viewer.

So, in order to do just that, Karachi’s Chawkandi Art Gallery, organised a multi-dimensional show comprising display of artworks and installations, an art performance and a panel discussion between artists, art critics and the audience. Under Niilofar Farrukh curation, Hojat Amani from Iran, Pala Pothupitiye from Sri Lanka and Roohi Ahmed of Pakistan exhibited their art works titled ‘Displacement Anxieties’ at the gallery.

Pothupitiye resorts to the use of cartography to depict the post-colonial fallouts in the region which caused rampant bloodshed and socio-political upheavals. Maps of Sri Lankan ports, like Iranamadu and Point Pedro, have been transformed by the artist into stories that narrate the citizens’ tribulations. The improvised lions and tigers with sharp fangs and claws that seem to metamorphose from the maps are a chilling reminder of the nation’s past.

Hailing from a country that is pitted with multiple national and international issues, Amani chooses to walk on the edge — stopping just short of being prosecuted by the ministry of culture. Based on female models with veil and scarves, draped in ornate wings on rococo backgrounds, his mixed media work conveys the need for easing gender discrimination.

The artist makes use of art software exquisitely to produce remarkable compositions. He uses traditional Persian motifs to illuminate the draperies and backgrounds and deploys faces and jewellery spliced from ancient miniatures. The art performance conceived by Amani was performed by the ceramist and drama artist Kaif Ghaznavi on the opening day which was perhaps the crown jewel of the exhibition.

The threaded installations of Ahmed, in their stark red hues, are instantly captivating for their innovative composition and meticulously embroidered and cut-out fabrics stretched on hoops. The concept is based on her original research on maps which she had deployed to create social awareness and reduce differences within a multi-ethnic society.

Her current depictions, the 'Constellation' series (thread on fabric) and 'Fasla I' (thread and pigment on fabric), revolve around the perception of ‘home away from home’. “When you are away from your home, the longing to return grows causing indescribable anxiety and unrest,” says Ahmed, “the distances can be geographical or emotional, but the longing for the native soil continues to be a part of you wherever you go.”

To give full tangibility to the objective of achieving cultural cohesiveness amongst nations through the universal language of art, the curator also moderated and conceptualised a panel discussion at the gallery on the topic: ‘Problematising the notion of cultural homogeneity’. While the three artists, all of varied cultural origins, discussed the subject with an open mind art critics Shahana Rajhani and Zahra Malkani served as the facilitators for the dialogue that ensued.